editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Scott Neuman works as a Digital News writer and editor, handling breaking news and feature stories for NPR.org. Occasionally he can be heard on-air reporting on stories for Newscasts and has done several radio features since he joined NPR in April 2007, as an editor on the Continuous News Desk. Neuman brings to NPR years of experience as an editor and reporter at a variety of news organizations and based all over the world. For three years in Bangkok, Thailand, he served as an Associated Press Asia-Pacific desk editor. From 2000-2004, Neuman worked as a Hong Kong-based Asia editor and correspondent for The Wall Street Journal . He spent the previous two years as the international desk editor at the AP, while living in New York. As the United Press International's New Delhi-based correspondent and bureau chief, Neuman covered South Asia from 1995-1997. He worked for two years before that as a freelance radio reporter in India, filing stories for NPR, PRI and the Canadian BroadcastingNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Scott NeumanTue, 26 Sep 2017 16:18:56 +0000Scott Neumanhttp://wkar.org
Scott NeumanThe widow of Pat Tillman — the NFL player-turned U.S. Army Ranger killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004 — is pushing back against a retweet by President Trump that included an image of her late husband with the hashtags #StandForOurAnthem and #BoycottNFL. "As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify," Marie Tillman wrote in a statement to CNN . "Pat's service, along with that of every man and woman's service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that. Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy. They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day." "The very action of self-expression and the freedom to speak from one's heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for," Marie Tillman said. "Even if they didn't always agree with those views." PatPat Tillman's Widow Pushes Back On Trump NFL Tweethttp://wkar.org/post/pat-tillmans-widow-pushes-back-trump-nfl-tweet
108030 as http://wkar.orgTue, 26 Sep 2017 15:45:00 +0000Pat Tillman's Widow Pushes Back On Trump NFL TweetScott NeumanNasty, brutish and short. Until about the last decade or so, that is how many of us were accustomed to thinking about Neanderthal life. But a lot has changed since then, not least of which is the emergence of smoking gun DNA evidence that Neanderthals are, in fact, family. Now a new study runs counter to earlier thinking by suggesting that Neanderthals reached maturity at about the same rate as modern humans. "Neandertals have long been seen as the James Deans of human evolution — they grew up fast, died young, and became legends," Ann Gibbons writes in Science. "But now, a rare skeleton of a Neandertal child suggests that our closest cousins didn't all lead such fast lives — and that our own long childhoods aren't unique. The find may reveal how Neandertals, like humans, had enough energy to grow bigger brains." A leading theory says that big brains take longer to develop, so in humans, childhood lasts longer to allow our brains time to grow. Chimpanzees, with much smaller brains thanStudy Suggests Neanderthals Enjoyed Long Childhoodshttp://wkar.org/post/study-suggests-neanderthals-enjoyed-long-childhoods
107900 as http://wkar.orgFri, 22 Sep 2017 20:45:00 +0000Study Suggests Neanderthals Enjoyed Long ChildhoodsScott NeumanNorth Korea has suggested that it could test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific, the latest in an escalating tit-for-tat between leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump. If Pyongyang makes good on the threat, it would mean marrying the two most powerful weapons known to man: a fusion-type nuclear weapon and a ballistic missile. "This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean," North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York on Thursday in response to a question about what action the regime might take against the U.S. "Regarding which measures to take, I don't really know since it is what Kim Jong Un does," Ri said. He spoke just days after Trump, in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, derisively called Kim "Rocket Man" and said it might be necessary to "completely destroy" North Korea . The president's bellicose rhetoric was in turn answered by Kim in a rare personal statement broadcast on state television. Kim describedNorth Korea Says Pacific Test Of Nuclear Warhead Is Possiblehttp://wkar.org/post/north-korea-says-pacific-test-nuclear-warhead-possible
107884 as http://wkar.orgFri, 22 Sep 2017 16:05:00 +0000North Korea Says Pacific Test Of Nuclear Warhead Is PossibleScott Neumanhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6wgpuwni0 Can a cat be both a liquid and a solid? Does contact with a crocodile influence a person's willingness to gamble? And do old men really have big ears? Those are just a few of the questions studied by scientists who received Ig Nobel Prizes at Harvard University on Thursday, at the less-than-prestigious ceremony put on by the otherwise-august institution for the past 27 years. "Each winner has done something that makes people laugh, then think," said Marc Abrahams, who founded the awards in 1991 and writes for the decidedly non-peer-reviewed journal Annals of Improbable Research. This year's awards in physics, economics, medicine and even an Ig Nobel Peace Prize, included something described as "a replica of a human head supporting a replica of a question mark," along with a piece of paper saying you won an Ig Nobel (signed by actual Nobel laureates) and $10 trillion — Zimbabwean. The mascot for the annual prize is called The Stinker , aIg Nobels Awarded For Research Into Big Ears, Feline Fluidityhttp://wkar.org/post/ig-nobels-awarded-research-big-ears-feline-fluidity
107623 as http://wkar.orgFri, 15 Sep 2017 16:55:00 +0000Ig Nobels Awarded For Research Into Big Ears, Feline FluidityScott NeumanCassini's Saturn Mission Goes Out In A Blaze Of Gloryhttp://wkar.org/post/cassinis-saturn-mission-goes-out-blaze-glory
107605 as http://wkar.orgFri, 15 Sep 2017 14:03:00 +0000Cassini's Saturn Mission Goes Out In A Blaze Of GloryScott NeumanUpdated at 3 p.m. ET In one of the biggest shows of military might since the end of the Cold War, Russia and Belarus are conducting joint maneuvers on NATO's doorstep, where the exercises are prompting jitters in some former Soviet satellites. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has stepped up security on his country's border with Belarus, warning that the Zapad 2017 exercises could be a prelude to an invasion. Zapad means "west" in Russian The war games run through Wednesday and involve 5,500 Russian troops, 7,200 from Belarus, up to 70 aircraft, 250 tanks, 200 artillery pieces and 10 navy ships, according to Russia. However, as NPR's Lucian Kim tells Morning Edition , "there's some debate about how big the exercises are" and NATO believes the numbers are bigger than Moscow is letting on. Arrayed against the Russin-Belorussian alliance for the six-day war games are fictitious "aggressor countries" Veishnoriya, Lubeniya and Vesbasriya, which as The Associated Press notes sound toNATO Nervous As Russia, Belarus Team Up For Cold-War-Style War Games http://wkar.org/post/nato-nervous-russia-belarus-team-cold-war-style-war-games
107587 as http://wkar.orgThu, 14 Sep 2017 16:28:00 +0000NATO Nervous As Russia, Belarus Team Up For Cold-War-Style War Games Scott NeumanWith communications still sketchy on many Caribbean islands smashed by Hurricane Irma, it requires a view from space to take in the magnitude of the destruction from one of the most powerful storms to form in the Atlantic. Image after image, stretching from Barbuda in the east to Turks and Caicos in the west, shows devastation on a scale that will certainly take years and billions of dollars to rebuild and surely will never be forgotten by those who endured it firsthand. Nearly three dozen people died throughout the Caribbean. Satellite imagery captured in the past few days puts the ruin in perspective: Codrington, Barbuda The morning after the storm passed the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, Gov. Gaston Browne issued a statement thanking God for sparing his country. Sitting in St. John's, the capital on the main island of Antigua, Browne was unaware of the destruction wrought on Barbuda. Contact with its residents had been lost around midnight. After visiting Barbuda, theBefore And After: Satellite Images Show Irma's Caribbean Destructionhttp://wkar.org/post/apple-unveils-three-new-iphones-watch-sends-shares
107535 as http://wkar.orgTue, 12 Sep 2017 20:58:00 +0000Before And After: Satellite Images Show Irma's Caribbean DestructionScott NeumanWhat to do if you live in Florida's Manatee County waiting on a hurricane? Rescue a few manatees, naturally. On Sunday, Hurricane Irma was still 100 miles away from Tampa but had already sucked the water out of shallow Sarasota Bay, a prime habitat for manatees — the protected marine mammals also known as sea cows. Intrigued, Marcelo Clavijo and several friends went out for a drive to take in the strange sight of an empty bay. He and his buddies, along with two sheriff's deputies, "ended up saving two manatees," Clavijo wrote on Facebook. Clavijo pronounced it: "a pretty cool experience." "[We] rolled them on the tarp and then dragged them a 100 yards," he wrote. Dave Bristow, a public information officer for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, tells NPR that it was "a bit of a lull" for law enforcement as the department waited for the hurricane to arrive. "From what I understand, the two deputies got word that these two manatees were stranded and they just went out there and did whatManatees Rescued After Irma Leaves Them High And Dry In Sarasota Bayhttp://wkar.org/post/manatees-rescued-after-irma-leaves-them-high-and-dry-sarasota-bay
107472 as http://wkar.orgMon, 11 Sep 2017 18:44:00 +0000Manatees Rescued After Irma Leaves Them High And Dry In Sarasota BayScott NeumanSeven people were shot and killed at a home in a Dallas suburb where they had reportedly gathered to watch a football game, authorities and neighbors say. A police officer who arrived on the scene exchanged gunfire with the suspected shooter, who was killed. Two other people were wounded in the incident, police said. There was no immediate word on their conditions. The shooting occurred around 8 p.m. local time Sunday in Plano, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas. The victims, who were all said to be adults, had held an afternoon barbecue ahead of the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game, according to neighbors. A nearby officer heard gunfire and responded, The Dallas Morning News reports. The officer "made entry, and that's when he observed several victims inside and then engaged the suspect," police spokesman David Tilley was quoted as saying by the Morning News . "We're looking into a motive," Tilley said, adding that the relationship between the victims and the shooter was unknown asAt Least 7 People Fatally Shot In Dallas Suburb; Officer Kills Suspecthttp://wkar.org/post/least-7-people-fatally-shot-dallas-suburb-officer-kills-suspect
107463 as http://wkar.orgMon, 11 Sep 2017 13:58:00 +0000At Least 7 People Fatally Shot In Dallas Suburb; Officer Kills SuspectScott NeumanWhere will it go? How strong will it be? When will it hit? Those are the answers everyone wants — not the least of which are the hurricane forecasters themselves. To get those answers, hundreds of millions of data points — everything from wind speeds to sea temperatures — pouring in from satellites, aircraft, balloons, buoys and ground stations are fed into the world's fastest computers and programmed with a variety of models at different resolutions, some looking at the big picture, others zooming in much closer. That data, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other forecast agencies around the globe, is processed and ends up on local weather reports. "We have a whole suite of numerical forecast models ranging from those at the global scale, that have less spatial resolution, to other models that cover smaller domains, but have higher resolution," Christopher Velden, a senior researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison's Space Science andWhat Goes Into Hurricane Forecasting? Satellites, Supercomputers And Morehttp://wkar.org/post/what-goes-hurricane-forecasting-satellites-supercomputers-and-more
107383 as http://wkar.orgFri, 08 Sep 2017 19:32:00 +0000What Goes Into Hurricane Forecasting? Satellites, Supercomputers And MoreScott NeumanUpdated at 6 a.m. ET Saturday Hurricane Irma is again a Category 4 storm as it slowly moves along the Cuban coast. The storm made landfall on the Camaguey archipelago of Cuba late Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, the hurricane's center was just off the northern coast near central Cuba. The report puts Irma's traveling speed at 12 mph, about 245 miles south-southeast of Miami. About 5.6 million people in Florida have been ordered to evacuate; forecasters expect the hurricane to hit Florida early Sunday morning. The hurricane center continued its alerts about not just high winds and rain, but also the expected storm surge, saying surge warnings have been "extended on the east coast of Florida to the Volusia-Brevard County Line and on the west coast of Florida to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay." Hurricane warnings cover the same area. Earlier Friday evening, Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned his state's residents that Hurricane Irma could be aMillions In Florida Ordered To Evacuate As Irma Crashes Past Cubahttp://wkar.org/post/irma-slightly-weakened-smashes-turks-and-caicos-way-florida
107353 as http://wkar.orgFri, 08 Sep 2017 12:27:00 +0000Millions In Florida Ordered To Evacuate As Irma Crashes Past CubaScott NeumanUpdated at 4:20 p.m. ET A string of tiny Caribbean islands have been left stunned and devastated by the destructive force of Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the region. Some islands appear to have been spared, but others suffered loss of life and damage on a near-apocalyptic scale. Antigua and Barbuda In Barbuda, communications were severed as Irma made landfall just before midnight on Tuesday. Antigua, 25 miles to the south, dodged the full force of the storm, prompting Prime Minister Gaston Browne at first to declare it a miracle that his nation had been spared. But as it turned out, Browne had spoken too soon. It was only after communication began to be restored and he was able to visit Barbuda that the damage to the smaller of the two islands became clear. "I journeyed to Barbuda this afternoon and what I saw was heart-wrenching, absolutely devastating," Browne said on state-owned television Wednesday afternoon. "In fact, I believe that on a per capita basisHurricane Irma Leaves Devastation Of 'Epic Proportions' In Caribbeanhttp://wkar.org/post/devastation-epic-proportions-caribbean-wake-hurricane-irma
107311 as http://wkar.orgThu, 07 Sep 2017 17:32:00 +0000Hurricane Irma Leaves Devastation Of 'Epic Proportions' In CaribbeanScott NeumanUpdated 3:20 a.m. ET Thursday France's Interior minister says Hurricane Irma has killed at least eight people and left 23 injured on French Caribbean island territories. The Associated Press reports: Speaking on French radio France Info, Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands. Collomb said Thursday: "The reconnaissance will really start at daybreak." Updated 2:14 a.m. ET Thursday The National Hurricane Center says the dangerous core of the storm will move away from Puerto Rico Thursday morning and is expected to pass just north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Irma is expected to be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening. Updated at 10 p.m. ET Carving its way through the Caribbean, the monstrous Category 5 hurricane called Irma, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, demolished homes and killed one person on Barbuda and rippedIrma Tears A Deadly Path Of Destruction Through Parts Of The Caribbeanhttp://wkar.org/post/irma-tears-path-destruction-through-parts-caribbean
107251 as http://wkar.orgWed, 06 Sep 2017 16:12:00 +0000Irma Tears A Deadly Path Of Destruction Through Parts Of The CaribbeanScott NeumanPresident Trump's decision to rescind an Obama-era policy deferring action against children of undocumented immigrants is drawing scattered protests around the country. Hours before Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the widely anticipated announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the White House. They shouted "We are America" and "We want education. Down with deportation." The marchers then proceeded to the Department of Justice, where the announcement was made, and to the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, where they staged a sit-in. In announcing the policy change , Sessions called DACA an "unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch." The president issued a statement saying: "I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are aProtesters In D.C., Denver, LA, Elsewhere Demonstrate Against Rescinding DACAhttp://wkar.org/post/protesters-dc-denver-la-elsewhere-demonstrate-against-rescinding-daca
107226 as http://wkar.orgTue, 05 Sep 2017 22:31:00 +0000Protesters In D.C., Denver, LA, Elsewhere Demonstrate Against Rescinding DACAScott NeumanRussian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that North Korea's Kim Jong Un would have his people "eat grass" before giving up his nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Putin was attending a meeting in Xiamen, China, of leaders of five emerging economic powers known as BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Speaking at a news conference touching on a wide range of issues, the Russian leader echoed a phrase attributed to former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the father of Benazir Bhutto, who said in 1965 that Pakistanis "will eat grass, even go hungry" to acquire an atomic bomb. The South Asian country detonated its first nuclear device in 1998. "They would rather eat grass but will not give up the [nuclear] program if they do not feel safe," Putin was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. He described the bombastic rhetoric being traded between Washington and Pyongyang in recent weeks as "military hysteria." "[This] will lead to no good,"Putin: North Korea Would 'Eat Grass' Before Giving Up Nukeshttp://wkar.org/post/putin-north-korea-would-eat-grass-giving-nukes
107208 as http://wkar.orgTue, 05 Sep 2017 18:25:00 +0000Putin: North Korea Would 'Eat Grass' Before Giving Up NukesScott NeumanUpdated at 12:25 p.m. ET Chicago-based Tronc, the newspaper chain that owns The Chicago Tribune , has struck a deal to buy The New York Daily News. The venerable tabloid, long a staple of New York's working class and subway patrons, will reportedly be purchased for $1 and the assumption of operational and pension liabilities, according to The Chicago Tribune. Although the details have not been made public, Reuters reports that Tronc, formerly known as Tribune Publishing Company, will assume roughly $30 million in liabilities. As NPR's David Folkenflik reports: "The Daily News, much like Tronc itself, is much diminished and has struggled to secure a firm financial footing." Justin Dearborn, Tronc's chief executive officer, was quoted by the Tribune as saying, "This is a great deal for the paper and for us. "We expect it to benefit greatly from becoming part of the Tronc ecosystem," he said. The Daily News has showed more restraint than the rival Murdoch-owned New York Post , embracing aPublisher Tronc To Purchase New York's 'Daily News'http://wkar.org/post/publisher-tronc-purchase-new-yorks-daily-news
107200 as http://wkar.orgTue, 05 Sep 2017 15:20:00 +0000Publisher Tronc To Purchase New York's 'Daily News'Scott NeumanOne of the last vestiges of Hong Kong's colonial past is going silent. The territory's public broadcaster will pull the plug on a 24-hour stream of the BBC World Service, replacing it with state-controlled media from China. A spokesperson for Radio Television Hong Kong, known as RTHK, says the decision to end the radio broadcasts, which have aired since 1978, was not influenced by politics. The BBC said in a statement that it is "always disappointed when a service our listeners are used to changes," adding that it is "doing everything we can to ensure we continue to reach our audiences." The move has prompted anger from some listeners in Hong Kong, who launched an online petition calling for the service to be restored. "Hong Kong touts itself as an international city. Yet the removal of the BBC World Service from the airwaves makes the city feel more parochial and inward‐looking," the petition reads. In addition to dropping the BBC, the China National News that replaces it will beHong Kong Broadcaster's Decision To Drop BBC Prompts Angerhttp://wkar.org/post/hong-kong-broadcasters-decision-drop-bbc-prompts-anger
107169 as http://wkar.orgMon, 04 Sep 2017 21:28:00 +0000Hong Kong Broadcaster's Decision To Drop BBC Prompts AngerScott NeumanKensington Palace has issued an official announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, are expecting their third child. A statement from the palace said "The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news." The statement also added that the duchess was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that afflicted her during two previous pregnancies. The announcement comes almost precisely three years after a similar one letting the world know that the couple was pregnant with their second, Charlotte (now aged 2), born on May 2, 2015. Prince George, 4, third in line to the throne, was born on July 22, 2013. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.William And Kate Expecting Third Childhttp://wkar.org/post/william-and-kate-expecting-third-child
107166 as http://wkar.orgMon, 04 Sep 2017 20:20:00 +0000William And Kate Expecting Third ChildScott NeumanUpdated at 11:20 p.m. ET The governors of Florida and Puerto Rico have declared pre-emptive states of emergency ahead of Hurricane Irma, a powerful Category 4 storm churning through the Caribbean on a westward track. The U.S. Virgin Islands also declared a state of emergency. Forecasters say the dangerous storm also looks increasingly likely to hit the U.S. East Coast, either in South Florida or the Carolinas. "We have established protocols for the safety of all," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, urging islanders to take precautions. Rossello said 4 to 8 inches of rain were expected, with wind gusts up to 60 mph. A few hours later, Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in all 67 counties in the state. Scott, in a statement, said the hurricane is a "life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared." "Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to makePuerto Rico Prepares For Category 4 Hurricane Irma http://wkar.org/post/puerto-rico-prepares-strengthening-hurricane-irma
107165 as http://wkar.orgMon, 04 Sep 2017 19:17:00 +0000Puerto Rico Prepares For Category 4 Hurricane Irma Scott NeumanUpdated at 3:30 p.m. ET U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tells the U.N. Security Council that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "begging for war," with the latest nuclear test that Pyongyang says is its first fusion device, a much more powerful weapon than it has exploded in the past. "Enough is enough. War is never something the United States wants. We don't want it now. But our country's patience is not unlimited," Haley told an emergency session of the 15-member Security Council in New York. She said that incremental sanctions on North Korea imposed by the Security Council since 2006 had failed to stop Pyongyang's march toward more powerful and dangerous weapons. She said Kim appeared to be "begging for war." "Despite our efforts the North Korea nuclear program is more advanced and more dangerous than ever," she said. "We must adopt the strongest possible measures," Haley said. The U.S. is expected to circulate a draft resolution of unspecified new sanctions for aU.S. Says North Korea Is 'Begging For War'http://wkar.org/post/haley-north-korea-begging-war
107160 as http://wkar.orgMon, 04 Sep 2017 15:09:00 +0000U.S. Says North Korea Is 'Begging For War'